Intertwined: Where Butterflies Never Die
by Avalon Brendon
Summary: Book One in the Intertwined Trilogy: The princess of a burning kingdom. An outcast with fading morals. It was only fate that could have brought the two of them together. And may it be fate that keeps their lives wrapped around the same thread, for they both need each other in order to survive. Brittana Fantasy, whoo!
1. Chapter 1

"Father!" Brittany cried.

"Princess, we must leave now! King Rory's men will be here soon!" Rachel shouted at the blonde, tugging on her hand in an attempt to urge her forward.

"Brittany, listen to her," Brittany's father demanded.

Releasing one last choked sob, Brittany allowed Rachel to lead her into the passageway. Once inside, the blonde whirled around to see her father cover up the door. Tears streamed down her face as she pushed herself forward, trying to make as little noise as possible. She knew not of whether or not any sound would escape the tunnel.

The two continued down the tunnel in this silence, mostly because neither knew of what to say. Brittany did not trust her own voice to hold a conversation at that moment in time-she was too hurt to speak. If anything, the whisper of her voice would become choked and even more inaudible than she was sure it already was. Rachel led the way cautiously, following the directions that the King had given her.

There was no sound of war outside of the tunnel. Then again, it may have been because no sound reached them. Neither of the girls knew what it was like outside, or what they would be facing once they reached the exit of the tunnel they were searching for. King Rory's men from the opposing kingdom could have already infiltrated the kingdom of Ellic. The entire kingdom could have already been taken over. And Brittany would not even know.

"This way," Rachel whispered after some time, abruptly turning to her left. Had the brunette not been holding a lantern the entire time, Brittany was sure to have gotten lost along the way.

"How much longer?" the blonde asked quietly.

"Not much, for the exit is right before us," Rachel responded. She handed the lantern to Brittany and placed both of her hands on a wooden slab that blocked their path. After some minutes of pushing at the wood which served as a door, it finally gave way, and a gust of wind blew into the tunnel.

The wind carried along with it the smell of smoke and death.

Brittany did not need to step outside the tunnel to know what was waiting for her.

Still, Rachel grabbed the other girl's hand and dragged her from the tunnel, lifting her up. Brittany looked back at the tunnel, realizing that they had travelled upward to the top of a hill, and that the exit looked like a mere hole in the ground-a large hole, too suspicious for a traveller to come across. It was that reasoning that urged Rachel to fasten the slab of wood back in place, making sure it was sturdy enough for even a human to step on. She then scattered dirt and leaves across it, making sure no one would think anything of it.

From the place they stood at on the hill, Brittany was able to see part of her kingdom clearly. Scarlet flames rose, licking the sky and spreading their destruction quickly. Smoke rolled across the kingdom, covering everything in its suffocating stench. Ash had already began to bury the kingdom. The worst of it, however, were the screams. They pierced through Brittany, sending shivers up and down her spine. Her grip on Rachel's hand tightened as she imagined her friends being among those screaming, pleading for their lives to be spared.

"Why are we the only ones who escaped?" Brittany asked aloud.

"There were others. Surely there were others who had been able to flee," Rachel tried.

"I should be down there fighting! I should not be here, watching it all occur, and doing nothing to protect my people!" Brittany shouted suddenly, anger building up inside of her.

Why had her father sent her away? She should have been doing all she could to protect her kingdom, to try and save the people that had trusted her with their lives. They should have never believed her to be a leader. All she had proven herself to be was a coward. She had run in the face of battle, instead of staying with her people and fighting alongside them.

"Your father's orders were simple, Princess Brittany. He wished for you to escape. Surely he had good reason to wa-"

"There is no good reason for this!" Brittany yelled back.

Rachel beame silent, not daring to speak out again. She did not wish to upset her princess more than she already had. Instead, she silently looked at the kingdom, feeling the tears coming to her eyes. Despite being a servant, she had friends as well. She had family that probably did not survive. There could have been someone down there that she knew, trying to fight their way out.

None of this was fair. That was something both girls could agree on.

"We must begin our travels to Opheal. Queen Judy will allow us to take refuge there, as your father had told me before these events," Rachel stated.

Reluctantly, Brittany turned her back on her kingdom, a single tear rolling down her cheek. The two stared at the forest before them, knowing well that this was the only way to Opheal without going down into the kingdom. However, both of them had heard the rumors of the forest of Illerti. Creatures of all kinds resided here, none of them having the mind to show mercy, even those that could think in human words.

"Stay close to me," Rachel warned her. Neither of them carried even a dagger, yet they were both willing to go into the darkened forest. "I sense them drawing nearer to the hill," Rachel said suddenly just as they were about to step foot into Illerti. "An large group of soldiers are coming this way. We must hurry!"

"Rachel, your gift has its benefits and disadvantages. Those disadvantages being the ability to strike fear into my very being," Brittany replied lightly, despite how terrified she was.

Perhaps this was the last day she would see. King Rory's soldiers feared nothing. They would not hesitate to venture into the forest on the belief that any survivors could have escaped into it.

Knowing this, Brittany and Rachel broke into the run. Soon, though, they realized that they had hesitated for far too long, as the sound of horses and men shouting at one another followed closely behind them. Brittany was tempted to ask Rachel how far behind the soldiers were, but she realized that she had no desire to obtain this information.

Instead, they both continued to run, ignoring the sounds from behind them and the howls and growls of the creatures in the forest. If luck was on their side tonight-and Brittany sent multiple prayers into the heavens that it was-they would hopefully make it out of Illerti with their lives.

"In this situation I would beg of you to unlock the seal on my abilities and allow me to set this forest aflame!" Brittany shouted at Rachel.

"Your father told me to only unlock your powers if you are sure that you can handle them," Rachel replied.

"I do not care if I can handle them or not! I must save our lives! Unlock my abilities now! That is an order, Rachel!" Brittany screamed.

Rachel whispered words of a different tongue under her breath, and almost immediately Brittany felt the reaction. A scorching feeling ran under her skin and spread about her entire body. She could hear clearly now the soldiers catching up to them, and from the corner of her eye she caught sight of a few horses. Cursing under her breath, she flicked her wrist, and almost instantly a tree caught fire. Again she did this, though now aimed for behind them, trying desperately to build a wall of fire between them. Much to her dismay, a few horses managed to get past the flames, and the men riding their backs only grew angrier.

"They wear the clothing of an Ellician! Shoot them now!"

Brittany was unable to stop the arrows that rained down on them, though she did not cease to continuously set fire to her surroundings. She hollered out in pain when an arrow caught the side of her shoulder, yet not even that stopped her. Her and Rachel still ran, side by side, not allowing themselves to lose sight of each other. Unfortunately, Brittany came to a halt when she saw Rachel fall to the ground.

"Rachel!" Brittany screamed, seeing the arrow sticking from the girl's back. She looked up at Brittany, a smile on her face with blood trickling out of the corner of her mouth.

"Please continue on, Princess Brittany. Do not allow them to kill you."

With that, the brunette fell limp. The time wasted to hear her last words had allowed the horses to catch up with Brittany. They surrounded her now, some of the men having their arrows pointed at the blonde while others simply drew their swords. All wore proud smirks on their ugly faces, and it pained Brittany to have to look at them any longer.

"You are the princess of the fallen kingdom. Why have you left your people to suffer? It is surely your fault they are all dead," one man mocked.

"Shut your mouth, you stupid bastard!" Brittany yelled.

"Such strong words from someone whose death is already upon them," another man replied, eyeing Brittany's wounded shoulder. Only a thin line of blood streamed down. "These arrows are tipped with poison, fool. What you believed to be a scratch is your doom!"

Brittany grew faint at hearing the words. A few men stepped down from their steeds, their swords before them as if they were going to strike her. She knew, however, that they would give her no easy death as the one they appeared to be ready for. Her shoulder ached and she felt her eyelids growing too heavy for her. Just as she was about to give herself to the darkness that was closing in around her, she heard a distant shout.

"Why have you disrupted my forest?!"


	2. Chapter 2

When Brittany woke up, her head was throbbing. Slowly, she forced her eyes to open, and was almost instantly blinded by the light that greeted her. She soon became adjusted to the burning brightness and tried to sit up. Her head throbbed even more intensely in protest, but she pushed through it until she was in a sitting position. Carefully, she took in her surroundings.

She was sitting on a bed that was far from comfortable, and the soft aching in her back was probably caused by the hard mattress. There was a window to her right with lavender curtains that had been drawn back, giving her view of a beautiful lake. The walls that closed her in the room were bare and made of wood, and it made her believe that she was in a cabin.

"Where the hell am I?" she groaned upon realizing that just thinking she was in a cabin did little to nothing for her. How had she gotten here? Had yesterday been a mere dream?

"You are in Illerti, Princess Brittany. I am glad that you are awake, for I have not yet been able to thank you for burning down part of the forest," a voice snapped. Brittany's eyes turned to the door. In the frame stood a girl who appeared to be as old as Brittany, though a few inches shorter. She was clothed in a cloak, and Brittany was not sure if she had anything on underneath.

The girl's raven-colored hair fell over her shoulders in waves. Her eyes were brown and carried a loneliness behind them that Brittany did not dare to try to understand. The stranger had tanned skin, a trait carried mostly by those in Ellic. However, the cloak was nothing that Brittany had ever seen in Ellic before. It was a bright shade of red and had black markings printed on it.

"You have nothing to say to me? No thank you for sparing your life? I could have easily made it so you met the same fate as those men! A bloody and merciless death!" she practically shouted at Brittany.

"If you had any desire to kill me, I would not be speaking to you right now," Brittany said calmly. However, she was scared. She did not know anything about this stranger. In that moment, she thought her life was to come to an end.

"Perhaps you are right. Then again, you could be so far wrong. It does not matter. You have trespassed into this forest, yet you were trying to seek refuge from those barbarians. There is not much I can do to you without upsetting Queen Elizabeth herself," the girl replied.

"Queen Elizabeth? You mean my mother?"

The stranger nodded before explaining, "I knew her many decades ago, before I was exiled from Ellic." Her tone was accusing, as if it had been Brittany's fault she was exiled.

"Was she kind?"

Looking at Brittany, the stranger's expression grew soft for a moment. The loneliness in her eyes only grew, but her features did not carry as much of a menacing appearance anymore. She did not frown, or smile, though her mouth only formed a thin line. Timidly, she said, "Did you not know her yourself?"

"She was murdered when I was a child. I remember nothing of her except for little snipets, and not even those small memories give enough intell about her," Brittany admitted.

"She was more than kind, Princess Brittany. Your mother was a fair and lovely woman. She was adored by everyone in Ellic. If you do not already know, she loved you very much. Your life was more important than hers in her eyes. She was willing to give everything for you. Perhaps that is why..." her voice trailed off, and she did not continue.

"What? What is it?" Brittany pressed, wanting to hear more of what the stranger had to say.

"Nothing. Anyway, we must leave soon. The forest will soon be unsafe for you. We are growing restless at your stay here," she said.

"The forest wishes for me to leave? Be it-I shall go immediately. But first, tell me your name," Brittany told her.

"My name is Santana," she replied simply.

"Santana."

The name felt familiar on Brittany's lips, as if she had said it or heard it before. Yet, she was sure no such name had ever been whispered in Ellic before. Such a strange name for someone from the kingdom in which the stranger had come from. Brittany did not question it further, however, and attempted to get out of the bed. Once her feet were on the floor, she pushed herself to stand, though immediately became light-headed and threatened to topple over.

Santana rushed to her, catching Brittany in her arms and holding her in place. Slowly, she lowered Brittany back onto the bed and smirked at her, content with the fact that the blonde was so weakened.

"Am I still dying from the poison?" Brittany asked, fear evident in her voice.

"No, idiot. You would already be dead if I did not have a Healer on you once I found you," Santana stated.

"So, you killed all of those soldiers?"

Santana nodded.

"By...yourself?" Brittany questioned, her eyes widening a bit as Santana nodded again. "What...are you?"

"I am far from human, I shall tell you that. Then again, you are not completely normal yourself, Princess Brittany. Otherwise you would not have been able to set fire to the forest. Tell me, do you think yourself to be human?"

"Of course I am human. I was just born with a supernatural ability," Brittany said immediately.

"And where were you born?"

"In Ellic. A maid helped with my mother's delivery of me, her only daughter. Why are you asking such moronic questions?" Brittany spat.

"Interesting. I seem to know more about you than you do. Tell me something more. Have you met any human who had to have a seal on their abilities? A seal is used for someone too powerful to control their own inner workings. Seals are usually only used on those that are far from human."

"My father and mother were both human! For you to suggest anything different is idiotic! Do not forget that this forest is still on Ellic soil, and you still reside in my kingdom. Therefore, you are under my rule. Do not dare to speak to your queen in such a disgraceful manner!"

"Elizabeth is my queen! I do not serve a child playing pretend," Santana said harshly. Brittany opened her mouth, though no words came out.

"Were you close to her?"

"The way this conversation has changed course so abruptly astonishes me. Get dressed, Princess. There are clothes in the box to your right. We are to leave immediately."

With that said, Santana walked out of the room. Brittany knew she was crazy to be willing to go with the stranger, yet she grabbed a dress from the box next to the bed and dressed quickly. There were so many questions that she had for the brunette, most relating to her mother. The way Santana was quick to defend Elizabeth's title as queen had given some sort of proof that the brunette was fond of her mother. Brittany wished to know what the past was like for them, and why arguing with Santana brought on such a familiar feeling.

She only hoped that Santana would be willing to speak of it.


	3. Chapter 3

To say that Santana intrigued Brittany would be an understatement.

The brunette knew more about Brittany's own family than she did. She spoke of Brittany's mother as if she had been her own. Every so often, though, she would make subtle comments towards Brittany being more than she thought. Brittany always ignored them, not wanting to stray from the beliefs she had come to known since the moment she was born.

"Is the bakery shop still up just outside the castle grounds?" Santana asked suddenly, abruptly interrupting Brittany as she spoke of her servant, Rachel, and how she heroically saved Brittany's life by guiding her out of the castle via secret tunnel.

Brittany cast her eyes over to Santana, who had not looked at her since they left the small cabin. The blonde had remembered the bakery shop from when she was younger, though she did not know whether or not she should tell Santana what truly happened to it years ago.

"Well?" Santana snapped, clearly impatient.

"It...was..." Brittany drew out.

"What happened to it?"

"The owners were murdered, and there was no one else willing to run the shop," Brittany said slowly. She watched the way that Santana winced at the words, and for the moment had the urge to hold the brunette's hand. Quickly, though, she pushed the urge away, deeming it stupid and pointless. Brittany knew the gesture in her mind was only for comfort, but something stirred in her stomach at the thought of her holding the other girl's hand, and the stirring was not unpleasant, though not entirely welcomed, either.

"What about their kids?" Santana asked quietly, her voice now small and not as biting. Sadness crept into her features, Brittany noticed, and the blonde caught sight of the tears pooling in Santana's eyes.

"They are probably dead now, considering the South has-" Brittany stopped herself short, realizing how insensitive she had sounded.

"Everyone is probably dead. And it is probably your fault," Santana bit harshly at the other girl. Brittany knew that the words were instinct, that Santana was just reacting, yet it hurt. While she probably would have accepted the statement and not taken it to heart, hearing it come from Santana made a sob catch in Brittany's throat. She tried her best to swallow it back down, though. Crying in front of Santana would probably just give the brunette another reason to insult her.

"The journey to the borders of the forest is a day's travel. From the border of the forest to Opheal is another two days. We are not prepared for such a journey. Of course, we can probably go without eating for the day's walk to the bored of the forest, if you can refrain from complaining any longer."

Brittany had spent much of her time complaining of a growling stomach and a dry throat. They had not eaten before they left, Santana making up an excuse as to how she did not have any food in the cabin. However, Brittany had seen a pantry, though did not dare to open it. Either way, the blonde knew Santana was lying. How else would she be able to survive?

"Anyway. Once we get into the city that resides just outside of Illerti, well the one we are going to anyway, we can just steal some food for the journey to the Opheal."

"I am not stealing food," Brittany replied quickly.

"Okay, then we could just steal money to pay for the food," Santana told her. Brittany stared at her as if she was insane, and Santana looked back with a confused expression.

"I am not stealing anything from anyone! Where the hell are your morals, Santana?!" Brittany exclaimed, throwing her arms into the air. She stopped walking to stare at Santana, desperately wanting to know the answer.

"Morals? I was exiled from Ellic and have lived in this forest ever since, and you are asking me about _morals_? Stealing is nothing compared to what I have done! I have slaughtered every human to have come into this forest since the day I arrived here, save your bitch. The soldiers took care of her for me," Santana spat out.

"She was not my 'bitch'! And do not speak of Rachel in such a manner! She was my friend, and she died trying to protect me. I will not allow you to speak ill of her!" Brittany shouted at her.

"Oh, come on, _Brittany,_" Santana replied, delibaretely dropping the title of 'princess' from her sentence. "Stop lying to yourself. Rachel was your servant, whether you want to admit it to me out loud or not. You made her do crap for you. She was just your bitch. To try and pretend she was something more is probably insulting her as she throws up in her grave! Oh, that's right. We both left her to rot with the rest of the bodies, and you have not spared one thought as to whether or not we should have gone back and buried her. Congratulations, _Princess._ You are the best fucking friend anyone could ever have!"

"Shut up! Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Brittany screamed. She brought her hands to her ears and covered them. Her eyes were closed tightly and she continued to scream the two words over and over again, not even knowing whether or not Santana had even stopped talking. Tears streamed from her shut eyes as Santana's words sunk in. She was right to some degree. Brittany had not bothered to ask Santana if they could go back and give Rachel a proper burial. Hell, when she had woken up, Brittany was really mostly concerned with herself.

After a few minutes, Brittany was still screaming, but her breath was coming out in short huffs and she felt herself growing light-headed. Unexpectedly, she felt hands loosely prying her hands away from her ears, forcing her to listen to whatever Santana was saying. However, Santana was silent, especially over Brittany's shouting. The hands that had pried her own hands away from her ears now held her wrists in a gentle grip, and Brittany began to doubt that it was Santana. The brunette could never be so gentle.

Brittany had stopped yelling, but her eyes were still closed and she was still crying. Despite her lack of breath, sobs still fell from her, and eventually she felt a pair of strong arms envelope her. Brittany was crouched over and sobbing into someone's neck, still not bringing herself to believe it was Santana. The other person was female, Brittany deduced, as the voice whispering softly into her hair was feminine.

When Brittany finally stopped crying and opened her eyes, she could see tan skin. Tan skin that clearly belonged to the outcast that she had been travelling with. It should not have shocked her as much as it had. After all, Santana was the only person around. No one else could have done that to Brittany. She slowly drew herself from the brunette to look into her eyes, though all she was met with were coldness and that same damn loneliness that made Brittany feel a pang of guilt.

Santana did not feel anything for the girl. She just wanted their journey to continue as quickly as possible. Or, at least, that was what she had told herself. There was no way she would let some princess of a kingdom that had been burned to ashes within a night suddenly make her develop emotions again. No. That would be foolish. Yet, Santana's arguements soon started to sound even more foolish to her, and she knew that some small part of her felt bad for the other girl. Fuck it-she even felt _guilty_ for the harsh words she had spoken to begin with.

_Princess Brittany S. Pierce, you truly are something,_ Santana thought to herself, trying to push away the feeling of guilt. Not even a day spent with Brittany, and Santana already knew the tall blonde was possibly going to be the death of her.


	4. Chapter 4

Brittany and Santana had only half a day's travel left. After constant complaining of aching feet, Brittany finally managed to get Santana to cave, and the brunette suggested a rest. While the blonde sat on a tree stump, Santana stayed standing, surveying the area with alert live in her eyes.

Suddenly, the wind in the forest picked up, moving through the trees and rustling the leaves. The unexpected burst of wind caused Santana to almost lose her balance and fall over, though she managed to keep it from happening. Brittany laughed at Santana, though the brunette had a serious look on her face, and one glare caused Brittany to shut up.

"The forest creatures are still unhappy at your stay. Be calm! I, Santana, beg you to take mercy on this poor soul. She is leaving now, how can you not see? Dwell not!" Santana shouted.

"It is not us that disapproves of her being here. No. The forest itself is unhappy. She has hurt us, Master. Part of Illerti is burned because of the wicked princess," a voice said, small and timid, high and pitched. Brittany believed it to be a nymph, as no body materialized before her, but the voice seemed to be coming closer to her. Perhaps the nymph had been travelling through the trees.

"I did not mean any harm to the forest. My act was out of self-defense!" Brittany tried to explain.

"Either way, the forest is wounded. He wishes for you to die," the nymph replied.

"Nonsense! The forest would wish no such thing. It is only I with the intention to kill trespassers. The forest wishes for nothing more than to rest peacefully," Santana said.

"Master, I mean you no harm, but I do believe your past is controlling you. Why else would you have taken mercy to this human?" the nymph asked.

"Do not speak to me of such things. Be gone. Now!" Santana snapped.

With that, the wind died down and the voice of the nymph was not heard again. Brittany rose to her feet with Santana's aid, and the two began again. Brittany eyed the girl cautiously, wondering what her past truly was like. Had the nymph been correct? Did Santana only save Brittany because of whatever happened in her past?

Brittany wanted desperately to know the answers to the questions floating around in her head. Unfortunately, whenever she had questioned Santana about her past, the brunette changed the subject quickly, bringing it back to how Brittany never stops talking. The blonde did not mind that much, because hearing Santana point out her flaws was better than hearing Santana say nothing at all. And all Brittany wished to do at the moment was hear someone's voice other than her own.

So Brittany did not mind when Santana finally broke down and started shouting nonsense at her.

"This is all your fault! The forest is upset with me because of _you_," Santana hollered. "Everything is your fault! Everything! I am here because of you! All of those who once respected me and looked up to me as a ruler here now disapprove of my actions because of you! It is all because of you!"

"Santana," Brittany said calmly. "I understand that you are upset. However, this relationship between us must end. All we ever do is argue and scream at each other, and we have hardly even been together. If we wish to get out of here quickly, then we must learn to work together. Otherwise, even if we do make it to the border of Illerti, we will never make it to Opheal. We will probably destroy ourselves before then."

"I would rather kill you than travel any further right now," Santana replied, her voice scarily serious.

"I know you would, but you cannot." Santana raised a brow at this statement, and Brittany continued, "There is something holding you back. Whether it truly is your past, as the nymph said, or something else, you will not be able to bring yourself to kill me. Not yet, at least."

"Perhaps you are a bit smarter than I first believed you to be," Santana said. With that, she continued on, and Brittany was unsure as to whether or not Santana expected her to follow. However, when Santana stopped a few feet ahead and turned to gesture the blonde to follow her, Brittany knew her intentions.

The small gesture meant nothing to Santana, Brittany suspected, but it caused a smile to form on the blonde's lips and a sudden warmth to fill her body. Santana could have easily walked away and aided Brittany no further, yet the brunette had stopped to tell Brittany to follow her. In Brittany's mind, that was progress.

* * *

"Another hour or so and we shall be at the border," Santana announced. "Would you like to rest or continue forth?"

"Continue. There is no need to rest in this wretched forest now. We are nearing the end of this part of our travels. I wish to get out of here as quickly as possible," Brittany replied.

"Please do not forget that this 'wretched forest' is my only home."

Brittany paused at the words and stared at Santana. Curiosity getting the better of her, she dared to ask, "What happened to you?"

"What exactly do you mean by your words?"

"Why were you exiled? Where did you live before this? How come you can tell me everything about myself, yet nothing about you?"

"Why do you want to know?" Santana questioned.

"I am just curious."

"Well, it is not entirely a secret. Especially not in Ellic. I do suppose that your mother had kept it hidden from you, though. Someone like you would have no reason to stick your nose into this sort of business. No. Your mother wished to protect you, so that when the time came for your powers to be unsealed, you would have no knowledge to hold you captive. Despite it not being a secret to the citizens of Ellic-hell, even the citizens of all neighboring kingdoms-it is a secret to you, kept by your mother, and I have no right to disturb that."

"Everyone is dead, Santana! Everyone in Ellic is dead. They are all gone. My mother, my father, my entire family! Even Rachel is gone. Please, just tell me. It makes no difference now. Whatever knowledge that may have held me captive before cannot touch me now. And if this has to do with a threat, then you can know that no one has left Ellic, and there are probably no survivors, so whatever threat was in Ellic is gone now," Brittany said.

"Murder."

Brittany's eyes widened a bit as she heard the word. She stared at Santana in silence, unsure of what to say or do, but thankfully Santana opened her mouth before Brittany had a chance to reply.

"I killed thirty people. By an order of those superior to me. Your mother was kind to me. She did not understand why I would betray her in such an unspeakable way. Although she was reluctant, she eventually had to order me to be put to death, as there was no 'special' treatment for such an act, especially towards me. There was someone, though, that begged her endlessly to spare my life, and to have me only exiled."

"Who was it?"

"That is not important, for she is dead now. I did, however, have a close relationship to her. So very close. Of course, that relationship is now dead as well," Santana said, frowning at the ground.

"Why...why did you kill those people?"

"They threatened to harm the girl I was so close to. Your mother did not know. I never would have allowed her to. After all, it would only strike fear in her very being, and I did not want to see anyone I cared about upset."

"Santana, are you immortal?" Brittany asked. The question had been weighing on her mind ever since Santana mentioned knowing her mother. There was no other explanation.

"You did not already figure I was? Most of those in Ellic are immortal, Brittany. This is no surprise to anyone."

"I know. I just...I wanted to make sure."

"There is a whole entirely different world that you do not know about, Brittany. Even hearing the words being confirmed by my own mouth, you can never truly be sure about anything. Not when you are about to experience who you truly are, and where you truly come from."

"What are you-"

Brittany was cut off by a growl, and the two girls whirled around. Both of them saw only a pair of yellow eyes before a beast lunged at them with such force that when it landed on its feet, Brittany swore she felt the ground vibrate.

_I am going to die._


	5. Chapter 5

"Let us alone!" Santana shouted at the creature. "I wish not to hurt you!"

The beast was large and took on a dog-like appearance, thought its skin was wrapped tightly around its body, showing its bones clearly. Spikes stuck out from its back, small and large all along its spine. Brittany watched the way that its three-inch, razor-sharp teeth shimmered in the moonlight. Her heart was beating fast as she silently watched the interaction between Santana and the creature.

At first, the beast circled Santana slowly, baring its teeth in the way that showed its intentions for killing the brunette. Santana shouted, constantly warning the creature to flee the area before Santana was forced to hurt it. The way she actually seemed concerned for the beast made Brittany's stomach flip. Why would she be concerned for something that probably did not think as normal people did?

Suddenly, though, the beast lunged at Santana, its great paws pinning her to the ground. It snarled at her, saliva dripping down onto Santana's chest. Brittany stepped forward and a painful feeling of heat rushed through her body. She looked down at her hands, only to see that they were engulfed by hot flames that threatened to spurt out uncontrollably.

"Do not make a move, Brittany! Just run!" Santana shouted to the blonde. "This is a Howler. They hunt in packs. More will be coming soon. You need to get away!"

Brittany just stood there, frozen. The Howler snapped at Santana's neck, but the brunette was able to pry herself away from its paws. She stood, determination in her eyes, and waited for the Howler to makes its next move. As the two watched each other, Brittany just stood there. Santana glanced over at the blonde, and her expression instantly turned into worry and fear.

"Brittany, please. Run."

"W-what is going on...?" That was all Brittany could manage to get out. When she opened her mouth to try and make an intelligent response, the Howler turned to her.

"Damn it! I cannot..." Santana tried to get out. Unfortunately, before she could say anymore, she fell to her knees. When she turned to face Brittany, her eyes shone red. "Get out of here, Brittany! You will only get hurt if you stay!"

Brittany knew there was no way she could outrun the Howler, especially with the beast staring at her so intently. However, she trusted that Santana seemed to think she had a chance, and she ran. The Howler immediately let a piercing scream into the air before following her. Brittany's eyes were closed, though, and she blindly ran through the forest, tripping over basically everything. And yet, the Howler had not caught up to her.

After a few minutes, she heard pained screams in the distance. However, they were not human screams. No. They were coming from the Howler. Brittany stopped, a feeling of security falling over her as she realized that Santana was taking care of things. What Brittany did not understand was how. Why were Santana's eyes red?

The girl was dragged out of her thoughts as she heard Santana shouted profanities. Brittany contemplated running back to see if Santana was okay. But would that not just piss off the brunette? And what Santana had said about Brittany getting hurt...Brittany began to doubt that Santana was referring to the Howlers hurting her.

Still, the blonde had always lacked at the ability of being able to make good decisions, and she soon found her feet carrying her back toward the direction she came from. What she saw terrified her, but she did not flee. Instead, she watched, curiosity and fear both causing her to stay frozen in the same spot once she laid eyes on the scene.

Santana's arm was bleeding heavily. That was not what Brittany was afraid of, however. It was the fact that there were over five Howlers, all circling Santana. And Santana was sure as hell not going down without a fight. It was _how _Santana was fighting that surprised Brittany. The brunette wielded a sword of black...metal? Brittany suspected it to be metal, as there was truly no other explanation at the moment.

That is, until Santana waved her arm and a shadow seemed to jump from the ground. It took on the shape of a spear and flew towards one of the Howlers, piercing it through the neck. The Howler fell to the ground, joining two others that were already dead. With one last whine, its eyes closed and its chest stopped moving.

The other Howlers were outraged, Brittany guessed, as two of them lunged at Santana. Expertly, Santana side-stepped one of them and swung her sword at the other in a fluid movement. Her blade caught the other Howler's shoulder, causing it to howl loudly at the pain. Another Howler jumped forward and sunk its teeth into Santana's shoulder. She cried out in pain, and that was when Brittany's thoughts no longer took any participation in her actions. Despite her own will, she ran forth and began throwing fire all around.

Some Howlers were burned, but mostly, the flames rain down on their surroundings. The Howlers all let out low whines and fled immediately, and Brittany finally remembered her father once telling her that Howlers were cowards when it came to fire.

Brittany turned from the fleeing Howlers to look at Santana. The brunette was slowly advancing towards Brittany, her blade held in an offensive position. It was then that Brittany became aware that Santana's blood was black, and her eyes were still glowing the terrifying crimson color.

"Santana," Brittany said. The girl did not stop moving closer to her. Instead, she quickened her pace and raised her sword more. Brittany did not know what to do. She wished to bring no harm to the brunette, no matter what happened. "Santana!" Brittany shouted. For a moment, the girl's eyes flashed back to normal, but then went back to red.

"My name is Snix," the brunette replied. The voice was the same. Appearance as well, aside from the eyes. How could one person change like this?

"Your name is Santana," Brittany tried. The brunette just let out a heavy laugh at the remark.

"Do you honestly believe that _I _would let you live? Santana, sure. But me? I would be more than happy to have your head disconnected from your body. After all, everything is your fault. Every little thing that ever happened to me was because of you. And now you will finally pay the price for it. You hated me, Brittany. Ever since your mother died, you have hated me. Is that why you never came to visit? Because you thought I was the reason your mother died?"

"What are you talking about?" Brittany asked, her voice getting high as she became more nervous.

"You made a promise, and you broke it!" 'Snix' screamed.

The brunette lunged at Brittany, swinging her sword down fast. Brittany closed her eyes and whispered a soft, "I would have visited you." Nothing came. When Brittany opened her eyes, she saw that the blade had been stopped a centimeter away from her neck.

"What?" Snix spat.

"I am not sure what you are talking about, honestly. All I know is that if I had really been the cause for you to have to go somewhere, I would give up anything to visit you. And, I do not think I would have hated you, either. My mother's death was no one's fault but my own. After all, I am the one who killed her. If I had not been such a disobedient child and gone to bed at the time I was supposed to that night, then maybe she would have not been attacked in the corridors of the castle walking back to her room. She could have avoided it all together. Honestly, though, I think you are extremely confused. I have never met you before in my entire life."

"You do not remember. Damn it, you do not remember! I should have known. I should have fucking kno-" Before she could finish, her eyes turned back to their normal, beautiful brown. However, they closed just as instantly. The blade disappeared in a whisp of black smoke and Santana-Brittany was sure it was Santana this time-fell forward.

Brittany caught her and held her up in her arms. The brunette was completely limp, and Brittany feared for a split moment that she was dead. However, her fears vanished when the girl stirred slightly in her arms before groaning. The blood turned crimson within a matter of seconds, but the wounds healed just as quickly, leaving not even a scratch on the girl's tan skin. Brittany knew, though, that the blood would probably leave a stain on the girl's cloak.

Carefully, Brittany lay the girl down on the forest floor. She thought to the flames to burn out, and to Brittany's surprise, they did. The sun was rising, and Brittany could tell because the sun's rays poked through the treetops and basked them in a light that Brittany was more than happy to see. She did not know how long it would take for Santana to wake up, but she did hope that it was soon, as she was afraid that the Howlers-or something worse-would be back for them.

_Santana, Snix, whoever you really are...you truly are the most confusing person I have ever met. And also the most beautiful..._

Brittany's eyes focused on the brunette's lips and she felt guilty for even having the thought of leaning down and kissing them. Again, though, her body betrayed her, and she slowly moved closed to Santana until their lips brushed together.

It was then that Santana's eyes flew open.


	6. Chapter 6

_"Santana, are you sure we should be doing this? I am supposed to be asleep," Brittany said, casting a worried glance down the corridor._

_"Relax, Princess Brittany. Do you trust me?"_

_The look in Santana's eyes only made Brittany trust her even more, and so she took the brunette's held-out hand and allowed her to lead her down the corridor. Brittany was led to a room with a door that barely made a sound as it opened and closed. When Brittany looked at the room, her eyes widened and her mouth hung open slightly._

_"Do you like it?" Santana asked, an expression of satisfaction on her face. Brittany only nodded. _

_Red candles were lit all around the room, providing the only lighting. Santana led Brittany over to the bed and the two sat down on the mattress._

_"Perhaps I should have done this for the first time," Santana said with a giggle. Brittany loved the way Santana looked when she laughed, but she shook her head in a way of saying that their first time was just as great. Santana's smile faded from her face and she grew serious as she look Brittany in the eyes. "Happy birthday," she told her softly._

_"This is the best birthday ever. But, what if somoene hears us?"_

_"Sound-proof room, check," Santana replied with a wink._

_The two started with a gentle kiss, though it soon turned passionate and Brittany moved to lay down. Santana gently climbed on top of her, straddling the blonde's waist. They continued to kiss, and Santana slowly slid her hand up Brittany's shirt. Brittany's breathing became harder as Santana reached the base of her right breast and-_

"What the hell do you think you are doing?!" Santana shouted as she moved away from Brittany. The blonde only sat their on her heels, looking as confused as ever.

"I-I-I did not...I do not know what I was thinking. I just-" She stopped herself, the images coming back, and she looked at Santana. Pushing all of her thoughts away, she took on an amused expression. "I had an interesting conversation with Snix just before she tried to kill me."

All of the color from Santana's face drained as she stared at Brittany in disbelief. Then, Santana grew angry, and it showed. Hell, did it show. Santana scrambled to her feet and pulled Brittany up by the collar of her shirt. Brown eyes stared intensely into blue, and Brittany did not know whether or not she should look away.

"Why are you so mad all of a sudden?"

"You did not run. I told you to stay away, yet you came back," Santana growled.

"And I was glad I did! I saved your life, Santana!"

This meant nothing to Santana. Instead of thanking Brittany, she simply threw her to the ground and looked at her while saying, "I do not care about my life, Princess Brittany. If I tell you to stay away, you stay the fuck away. Understood?"

Brittany was frightened by the tone in Santana's voice. She had never heard the brunette so angry-or scary-not even when she was still 'Snix.'

"Good. And whatever Snix said, I wish not to hear any of it."

"But I wish to bring it up," Brittany dared to say. "What exactly are you? A vampire? No...vampires cannot control shadows in the way that you were able to. Or, can they? Are you a vampire? I heard that vampires can only be killed if they get their heads cut off. Also, I heard that vampires are not allowed to step foot in the castle, as an ancient protection spell would ward them off, so I do not believe that you are a vampire, especially because of the scene played through my head when I kissed you..."

"What scene?" Santana asked, a perfect eyebrow raised.

Brittany blushed hard as she realized she had revealed too much. The daydream had probably meant nothing at all. Yet, she found herself continuing to ramble. "I just...I had a short daydream about us in the castle, and it was my birthday or something and...um, that was all. Nothing else," she said quickly.

"Listen to me, Princess Brittany. I do not care what Snix said. Disregard all she told you, okay?" Santana's tone was now pleading, and Brittany had no other choice than to nod. The attraction she had toward this girl struck fear in her very being, yet it still excited her. Everything was so sudden and she realized that she was now attracted to this woman. Of course, her crushes had always formed this fast. She loved blindly, even if she was better off not 'loving' anyone. She was always hurt.

"Santana, can I tell you a secret?" Brittany questioned. She felt herself falling back into a childish manner, but she did not mind. Every so often, it happened. At this point, she stopped trying to keep it from happening. When Santana nodded, Brittany felt comfortable in saying what was on her mind. "I do believe I am attracted to you."

"Well, I am very far from being able to say the same."

"Is there anything I can do to make you feel the same way?"

"There is absolutely nothing you can do, Princess Brittany," Santana replied, her voice almost laced with sadness.

After that, both of them stopped talking. Brittany only thought inside of her head, and Santana barely thought anything at all. She was trying to feel numb to everything, but she soon learned that was not working very well. Every once in a while, she would glance over at the blonde, just to make sure she was still there. And Brittany did the same for Santana. They were afraid that they would lose each other in the silence.

Soon, they came to the border of Illerti, and Brittany sighed in what Santana thought was relief. Just before she stepped out of the forest, Santana looked back, an almost sad expression painted on her face.

"Are you alright?" Brittany asked softly.

"This is my home," Santana replied quietly. "Why am I so willing to leave?"

Something told Brittany that Santana already had the answer to that question. The blonde just needed to learn what it was for herself.

**Author's Note: So...I do not know if I should continue. This story is not very, well, erm, popular, and the lack of reviews just tells me that no one really likes it enough for me to continue, lol. I will consider it, though. Anyway...**

**What the hell is going on? What IS Santana, anyway? A vampire? And why Snix a bitch (even though that happened last chapter)? Will Brittany ever find out what Santana is hiding? And what was the past like for Santana?**

**I guess you will just have to wait until the next chapter~!**


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